Ask Me Anything... Sandy Hook shooter and Asperger's syndrome....

As we have seen, there has been a tendency in the mass media to label Newbury, CT mass murderer Adam Lanza as someone who suffered from
Asperger's Syndrome, an often misunderstood type of autism.

Aspies are not psychotic, anti-social, or many of the other attributes that are arbitrarily assigned to us.

Kindly accept this as an invitation (that I would never accept in real life, lol,) to ask an Aspie anything about what my life was like growing up, or
what it is today.

As an opening, I will posit that my personal perspective of others is NOT one that would result in my diminishing anyone as a person -- while I don't
always understand why someone acts towards others the way that whey do, I can sort out why they act that way.

Many people with Aspergers have been in the media, especially in the UK, for internet 'crimes', usually malicious trolling. I had a friend with
Aspergers who would do his utmost to get my ex to have a go at me, and me at him. It ended up in the police getting involved.
I'm not saying Aspie's are all malicious buggers, I'm just saying because your condition manifests itself in one way, doesn't mean it the same for
everyone.
It's a form of Autism which is already a very broad condition.

How can you speak for all people with Aspergers when a common complaint of the condition is that you can't understand people's motives or reactions?

Originally posted by Lulzaroonie
How can you speak for all people with Aspergers when a common complaint of the condition is that you can't understand people's motives or reactions?

I don't think that I can speak for everyone who has Asperger's, obviously, but I think that there is a big difference between sociopathy, as the
Sandy Hook shooter seemed to exhibit, and the difficulties that Aspies have in relating to other people. While I have troubles understanding and
interacting with people at times, I have never lacked sympathy for them, and among my circle of friends who are also Aspies, I've not seen any
disregard for others.

What is it like having a label that is looked at negatively by our society today?

The biggest problem is explaining it to people

Autism is a spectrum, and Asperger's is a spectrum within that spectrum, so when I tell people
that I have AS, it's usually met with a fair amount of confusion, because for most people, autism is the "off in their own world, doesn't
interact" extreme. Because I've learned to hide my predilection for weirdness, and I live in a culture that finds my abnormal way of seeing the
world profitable, I'm viewed by most people as a normal, successful person, whereas a hundred years ago, I'd likely have been seen as a kook.

while I don't always understand why someone acts towards others the way that whey do, I can sort out why they act that way.

Wouldn't this

I can sort out why they act that way.

Explain this?

I don't always understand why someone acts towards others the way that whey do

You got me confused already.

Hmm... yeah, that's a bit contradictory, lol. What I meant was that most people just intuitively know why others do or say the things that they do,
but I have to "figure it out". Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at that, but I'll still find myself confused or disinterested in the
motivations of others at times, and that tends to cause problems with people who don't know me, usually because I don't recognize that something is
important to someone and I just dismiss it.

Originally posted by Lulzaroonie
Many people with Aspergers have been in the media, especially in the UK, for internet 'crimes', usually malicious trolling. I had a friend with
Aspergers who would do his utmost to get my ex to have a go at me, and me at him. It ended up in the police getting involved.
I'm not saying Aspie's are all malicious buggers, I'm just saying because your condition manifests itself in one way, doesn't mean it the same for
everyone.
It's a form of Autism which is already a very broad condition.

You're right autism is a very broad diagnosis, with Aspergers officially now being put on the "high functioning" end of that.

Aspies can be very intent and systematic observers of human behavior, and when coupled with a (varying) lack of empathy this can make them very
manipulative. Sometimes, just for the sake of curiosity, and sometimes because they are angry and disaffected when their condition makes
socialization difficult. This happens, I won't deny it, but that is a common phenomenon across the board--from aspies to "normal" people to the truly
delusional and deranged... Bit of the chicken or the egg in that, but that is another topic.

I'm sorry that your friend did that, but in my experience, that malicious sort of manipulation is not as prevalent in aspies as neurotypicals.
However, when those on the spectrum do manifest it, it can be very... Sadistic, even sociopathic, and certainly strikes a chord with people and gets
noticed.

Also, I would like to mention that autism has gotten a great deal of press in the last few years, and I suspect that there is a certain amount of
scapegoating going on in the media and general social mood.

Originally posted by Lulzaroonie
How can you speak for all people with Aspergers when a common complaint of the condition is that you can't understand people's motives or reactions?

I don't think he is claiming to speak for all people with Aspergers, or at least that is not his intent. I think he is trying (albeit somewhat
clumsily) to give people access to someone else with aspergers that may be able to clarify the shooters motives, since so many people are asking
"why?" and "how could he?" Also, I think he may be trying to present someone on the spectrum who is not nuttier-than-squirrel-poop, so maybe people
will stop freaking out. What the OP'er may not realize is that people don't really want to understand, they want someone to blame right now, and they
will resist understanding while they are hurting, and if this blame train keeps on rolling that may only get worse.

This is one of those motives and reactions of neurotypicals that I don't understand, by the way, but it is a consistent pattern of behavior.

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